The tartan was launched at an anniversary event in Edinburgh by RDA President, Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal. The Princess met with volunteers and participants from around the country and was presented with her very own RDA tartan scarf by brothers Andrew and William McLeod.

Over 500 student nurses, academics, healthcare professionals and people with learning disabilities, as well as their family and friends, gathered in Birmingham on Friday 26 April to attempt to set a new Guinness World Record for the most people in one room simultaneously signing ‘Hello my name is’ using Makaton.

The #HelloMyNameIs campaign calls for more compassionate care by highlighting the importance of seeing a patient as a person and putting them at the heart of decision making.

WheelPower, the national charity for wheelchair sport, recently welcomed 136newly paralysed men and women representing 15 spinal injury units from across the United Kingdom and Ireland to the 32nd Inter Spinal Unit Games at Stoke Mandeville Stadium from 9-11 April 2019.

Some had never played sports before, and each person had a different story to share as to how they became paralysed, yet all were willing to give the 26 different sports and physical activity sessions a try, before entering competition sports between the Spinal Unit teams. The flagship event finally culminated in a gala dinner and awards ceremony for all the participants, sports leaders and supporters of the event to celebrate the achievements and effort of all the participants and winners.

CMG and Regard, a leading provider of support for people with learning disabilities and associated complex needs, is proudly supporting self-advocacy group – Campaign 4 Change – which is led by 11 of the people it supports.

Campaign 4 Change (C4C) is made up of members who passionately campaign on issues that affect people with learning disabilities and autism, both on a local and national scale.

Becoming a foster parent is something that has the power to change a child’s life - particularly if that child is living with a disability.

Although becoming a foster parent may seem daunting, it is also a hugely rewarding experience, and there is plenty of support available to help you on your way.

Scope’s fostering service specialises in pairing up disabled children and young people with foster families, and find a solution that works for you.

Although fostering is a step that will have a long-lasting effect on your day-to-day life, it is also an opportunity to transform a child’s life, to give them a chance to experience a safe, comfortable, and loving upbringing.

The national learning disabilities charity, Hft, has been awarded Centre of Excellence status in recognition of its exemplary training provision by Skills for Care.

Hft is only the third charity to receive the accolade and one of just 24 organisations to have the bespoke quality mark which is awarded to the providers with the best learning and development programmes within the adult social care sector.

Two outstanding people from Group SRS (Scottish Recruitment Solutions) have been shortlisted for a Care at Home & Housing Support Award from Scottish Care. Jill Summers and Gail Millar are finalists for the prestigious awards which recognises individuals and teams from around the country for delivering exceptional care.

According to a study by NHS Digital, one in eight young people suffer from a mental health disorder in the UK. This study also found that, in the age group 5-10, boys were almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with a disorder as girls, at 12.2% compared with 6.6%.

To combat the growing trend in mental health diagnoses, animal therapyis becoming more common as education providers look for ways to support their children through complex social and emotional developments.

Therapy animals have been used in interventions with children with autism, ADHD and ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder) and have had observable physical, social and emotional successes.

Findings from a new and extensive survey on workplace adjustments were announced today (25 April) at Business Disability Forum’s annual conference in London.

Based on the views of over 1,200 respondents, The Great Big Workplace Adjustments Survey provides a detailed and up-to-date picture of what is and isn’t working when it comes to making and managing adjustments; how effective adjustments are, and how far everyone who needs adjustments has them in place.

A not-for-profit membership organisation, Business Disability Forum sought the views of employees and managers working with adjustments to compile what it believes to be one of the most informed pieces of research available on the subject.

A teenage girl with a condition that makes it hard for her to communicate can now express her wants and needs thanks to the intervention of a social worker who supported an application for a specialist communication aid through Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children.

British athletes, Jordanne Whiley and Lucy Shuker are celebrating double title success after sweeping the board in the women’s singles and doubles at the ITF 2 Busan Open over the weekend. The pair won the doubles title before Jordanne clinched the singles title in the first of three elite tournaments in Korea this month.

A woman with learning difficulties, cerebral palsy and autism is now enjoying ‘a new life’ with a high degree of independence, thanks to the dedication of staff at her supported living service in Ryde on the Isle of Wight

When 33-year-old Sara moved to Copperfield House after many years in residential care, she was unused to doing anything for herself, but as soon as staff started supporting her to do more for herself, she took to it with great enthusiasm.

From being fed ‘whatever was on the menu’ Sara now takes great delight in preparing her own meals, especially her favourites - cauliflower cheese and macaroni cheese - which she will happily cook from scratch. She also enjoys shopping for the ingredients.

The Thames Chase Trust had great pleasure in welcoming the Rt Hon Michael Gove MP (Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and Julia Lopez MP (Hornchurch and Upminster) to the Thames Chase Forest Centre, the home of Thames Chase Community Forest.

The Board of Trustees shared and promoted the work of the Thames Chase Trust in managing the 40sq miles of the Community Forest and its Thames Chase Plan. Particular emphasis was placed on the importance of providing ‘access for all’ to the green environment and the relationship between the Thames Chase Plan and HM Government’s 25 Year Plan to ‘Improve the Environment’.

Staff at a residential care service in North Yorkshire reached new heights to raise almost £1,700 for charity when they conquered Yorkshire’s Three Peaks in support of the National Autistic Society.

Heathcotes Whitley specialises in residential support for individuals with autism, so the intrepid team had all the motivation they needed to take on the gruelling challenge in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. They completedPen-y-Ghent (summit 694 metres), Whernside (summit 736 metres) and Ingleborough (summit 723 metres) in a time of 11 hours and 40 minutes.

Tina Waltz is the Support Lead for The Roses, an Autism Accredited service run by Hightown Housing Association, providing supported living for people with Autism and Learning Disabilities. Tina has worked at the service since it opened 15 years ago.

Picture the scene. You see a man shouting. He’s with a woman who seems to be trying to calm him down. Are they a couple? Is she in danger? What should you do?

It can be a difficult decision but take a moment to assess the situation. Is the woman he is with supporting him?

In 2018 Sparsholt College in Hampshire became the 50thcentre to gain Accessibility Mark accreditation, with the aim of expanding its services to disabled riders.

Horse riding has many well-documented therapeutic benefits for disabled people but, as a recent study by RDA found out, it can also have a huge impact on the volunteers that support participants.

Full-time students undertaking one of the range of equine courses on offer at the college are actively encouraged to volunteer with the Accessibility Mark sessions that take place every week, to help build their portfolio and improve their employment skills.

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